International Workers’ Day, Labor Day, Workers’ Day… So many names for a single day of the year— May 1—and to celebrate a single group: workers.
But make no mistake: Labor Day isn’t just a French tradition—far from it! In the United States and Germany alike, people celebrate this special day in honor of hard work. So before you head off on a language study trip, it’s best to do your research!
Discover the origins of May 1st during your language study trip to the U.S.
It was in 1884 in the United States that American labor unions decided to force employers to limit the workday: the standard set at that time was 8 hours. To launch their campaign, they chose May 1, the very day on which many companies begin their fiscal year and when contracts expire.
Two years later, we find our movement resurging in one of our other language study destinations: in Chicago, it took on an anarchist character with the infamous Haymarket Square massacre, the climax of the struggle for the eight-hour workday in the United States and the founding event of May Day.
Today, in the United States, Labor Day is not a public holiday. However, many labor unions and left-leaning groups see it as the perfect opportunity to celebrate the working class.
If I'm on a language study trip in Germany, do I have to celebrate Labor Day?
Rest assured: if you’ve chosen a language study trip to Germany, you’ll have the day off on May 1st! On Labor Day, people wear a red carnation in their buttonhole, a tradition dating back to the late 19th century.
And during a language study trip to England, do you have to get up for work in the morning? We’ll have the answer early next week! On Monday, LEC will tell you all about Labor Day in the UK. Why so late? Because for our friends across the Channel, May Day is celebrated on the first Monday after May 1…